Messages - erockrph

Looks good. Caramel malt will not give you the flavor profile of caramelizing the first runnings, but it will still result in a good beer. You might also want to add a bit of honey malt if you want to come closer to that caramelized runnings flavor. I also think if you're already using 15lbs of Maris Otter, then I don't think there is much need for the Victory.

And I think S-04 is a solid choice for a Wee Heavy if you don't have a big pitch of Scottish Ale yeast ready to go.

Anyone ever run PBW through an automatic coffee maker?It sure worked great on the carafe and my nasty old thermos.

Brilliant! I've used it to break up burnt-on crud on pots and pans, but never thought about running it through the Keurig. I'm thinking PBW > vinegar (to neutralize & help dissolve scale) > 2x hot water rinse should do the trick

This is on my list of things to try with my IPAs in the future, but not at serving time. I think the issue is that extraction takes longer at cooler temps, so unless you use a crapload of hops you won't get much hop oil in solution. And then you get all the organic material and other undesirables ending up in the beer.

My plan is to do this with my priming sugar right before bottling. I'm planning on using DME to prime, then adding hops to the french press once it gets down to about 170. Essentially doing a mini hop stand at bottling time. This way any organic material has time to drop out before serving time.

I like the jar idea - Foodsaver bags can be a PITA to reseal sometimes. The edges of the bag tend to roll a bit when you slice it open and it can be tough to feed them back into the machine. But the big difference to me is the space issue. I easily have 20+ pounds and 30-40 varieties of hops in my freezer right now. If I had them in jars I'd have no room for food. Still, it would probably be a good idea for my go-to hops like Magnum & EKG.

This is awesome stuff! I've been kicking around an idea of brewing a pair of coffee stouts - one using light roasted barley, pale chocolate malt and whole blonde roast coffee beans; and the other with dark roast barley and chocolate malt, and ground espresso beans. But this takes it to a whole new level. Please keep us posted with updates.

For me it's all or nothing on the whirlfloc vs nutrient question. But that's because I add them at the same time. If I forget one, then I've forgotten both by default. Honestly, they're both just insurance policies. I've never missed either one the times I did skip them.

And maybe it goes without saying, but make sure you;re using the best quality hops you can find. Dry hopping is not the place to try to use up your old hops.

OK, so that begs another question: via mail, where do you all recommend I get my hops? I usually use Morebeer.

The best hops I've ever gotten come from Hop Heaven. Ted goes to Yakima and hand selects the hops he buys. You can find them on eBay. Hops Direct and Freshops are also great sources. Places like MoreBeer buy their hops from these guys, so you can eliminate a step.

I'll vouch for Ted as well. Great hops. Yakima Valley Hops is also fantastic, and they're the only place that sells Caliente as far as I'm aware. I also use Hops Direct, Freshops and Farmhouse Brewing Supply to feed my hop addiction.

Most pro brewers use whirlpool additions for a good portion of their late hops. This really amps up the flavor and aroma contributions of the hops, and the bitterness seems to be a lot smoother (similar to First Wort Hopping to my palate).

As a homebrewer, if you don't have a whirlpool you can still approximate this by using a hop stand (adding your flameout hops, then letting them steep hot for 30-90 minutes). IME, that's the only way to come close to (or even exceed) that saturated hop flavor you find in commercial IPA's.

That, and use a whole lot of hops. I'm using just over a pound of hops in a 3-gallon batch of IPA right now, and I might push that even further the next time I brew my "house" IPA recipe.

There is so much more to producing a quality beer than the recipe. Even if everyone brewed the exact same recipe, no two would taste the exact same.

And frankly for a lot of styles the majority of the recipes are going to be pretty close. If you needed a unique recipe, then they might as well shut down the whole Bohemian Pilsner category for eternity. It is certainly not frowned upon to brew someone else's recipe for a competition.

I was told that it is important to remove the beer from the sediment in the primary fermenter as soon as initial fermentation has stopped as this improves the taste of the beer. However, it seems like many leave the beer in the primary fermenter for long periods of time and don't seem to have a problem. Does it matter if the beer is removed from the sediment in the fermentor?

There are some risks in taking the beer off the yeast too soon. Even after the fermentation is done, the yeast remain active and clean up a lot of the compounds that can cause off flavors. In addition, you run the risk of contamination (this is a very small risk if you clean and sanitize properly) during the transfer process. The biggest risk is oxidation, which can lead to staling and off flavors in your beer, and can also reduce the shelf life.

At the homebrew scale, there is little need to rack the beer out of your primary fermenter until you are ready to package it (either in a keg or bottles).

I've found that time may not work quite as fast as whirlfloc, but it works nearly as well. I'd be willing to hazard a guess that by the time you're done lagering you probably won't see much of a difference.